Such a rare site these days. A plane…. According to the flight app it’s on the way to Houston. I wonder how many are on the flight? With so many unseen enemies I don’t imagine it’s a particularly pleasant experience.
I was never the greatest of flyers. I was always one of those who kept one beady eye on fellow passengers for unusual behaviour and the other on the structural integrity of the plane. Luckily I never had too many bad experiences.
- A landing at Geneva which was a tad extreme. I heard one flight attendant say – that’s the co pilot, he drives his car just as bad….
- An argument with English Border Security why they were body searching our 3 year old toddler who was holding a cuddly dinosaur and his 73 year old granny, yet waving through adults my age. I wonder if that got me onto the security watch list….
- A last second aborted landing at Leeds Bradford. Sudden pull up with feet to go. Then 10 minutes circling at an extremely low height with no pilot update. Finally the pilot announced that the power had gone out at the airport during the landing.
- A year later circling Leeds Bradford airport for far too long waiting for the wind to drop. The pilot didn’t help the mood by announcing that the plane was low on fuel so they could only circle one more time before they he would have to find another airport that was open.
But then you balance that out with great memories
- That first glimpse of The Alps through the plane window.
- On a flight to Amsterdam telling son a story about a talking mole who would sneeze so hard he would blow clothes off washing lines. People and other talking animals would stand in front of the mole hoping for a sneeze and a free journey. A mole whose best friends are an overweight tea drinking cheetah and a crocodile who was scared of everything. When I finished I heard the toddler behind us laughing her head off. Her parents asked if I would tell another one for her. Ended up doing stories until we landed.
- Our toddler son telling the the flight attendant on a Lufthansa flight that the in flight cakes were the best thing he had ever had. Just before we left the plane, the flight attendant returned with a huge box of the cakes. Kept him going for months.
- As we boarded a Swissair flight the pilot clearly took a shining to our son. Seconds later son was sat in the pilots seat with her pilot hat on. He was shown how to fly the plane. That’s an awful lot of things to look at.
- Swissair was always so much fun. Just before you landed they would dish out free goodies for you to take with you. Free chocolate, free small wine bottles, free sweets and a free soft toy for the kids. Sadly they went bankrupt – I wonder why….
Back to that one flight in the air heading to Houston. It got me thinking about when I would fly again. The question rapidly changed into if I would ever fly again… Aspergers and modern flying are not natural partners. Too many people squeezed into confined spaces. In your face security. Never ending queues. Unpredictable timings designed around the planes rather than the individual. The sensory overload and lack of personal space or quiet areas. Maybe the answer is never.
If and when travel resumes for the world…. if and when travel resumes for us then we have options. Train journey is still not subject to many of the burdens that go with flying. Car travel can be so much fun …..just need a car that could make it out of Yorkshire. And yes air travel may still be an option.
Or maybe I can find a talking mole who has a talent for massive sneezing. Maybe mole sneeze induced travel is the eco friendly option for the future.
I saw this too a few weeks ago and because that was the first time I’ve seen one in what feels like a long time the first thing that came to mind was this scene in 28 Days Later. Later that day my niece who lives in the next city posted the shot in her IG stories. Surreal how we were all looking at it at the same time from our quiet corners in our homes, and a simple sight had our minds wondering, remembering.
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That was the only one we saw yesterday. Normally the sky is full of them. It’s so bizarre looking back.
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Who knows, maybe one day!
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Fingers crossed.
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👍🤞
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I know I wont be getting on a plane any time soon. I’ve never had a passport (never needed one, even for Mexico and Canada) and my Driver’s License isn’t the “new” kind that’s “Federally recognized”, which means I can’t board a plane.🤷🏼♀️ I don’t really see myself going anywhere that would require a plane anyway.
I’d love to travel, but Ben will have need if my services for many years yet😉💌
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It’s a similar feeling for me really. x
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I love the story-telling story on the plane!
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We still do those stories. I must have told thousands of those mole stories now.
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Maybe you should turn the mole stories into a children’s book. Just sayin’……..
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I’m doing one but it’s just for son.
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The Amsterdam flight story is delightful.
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Thank you sir.
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Not seen a plane at all here. I did love your stories. Lovely.
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Thank you. How is your next trip looking? Has it been cancelled yet. x
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Well we have moved it to August. Should have been now
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Well fingers crossed. You so need a break I guess.
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Clachaig is shut.
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Glencoe is just my thing you know. We lost Prague as well. But Glencoe… I dream in Glencoes.
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I keep trying to find my Glencoe photos
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I have got like this hysterical youtube vid, the Leo Varadakar is ending the lockown Hitler wants a pint one. I want a pint, a pint in the Boots Bar…
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That works.
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Yep, I’m not keen on flying really but I love the opportunity it brings. To experience new places, sights and sounds. I can see airports and planes becoming places of anxiety for many, then with aspergers thrown into the mix … it is a minefield for sure!
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When are you thinking about having your next trip?
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We were all booked to go back out to North Carolina to stay with my cousin and his family again. Early august. A few days on the east coast beach, trip to mountains and white water rafting maybe, then chilling in NC. Didn’t sort out insurance, don’t know if flights will still be on and don’t think we’d want to fly even if they are. We saved up for 2 years to get out there and see them again. Sad but it’s the way it is for many.
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That’s such a shame. So you’ve been before. Was it fun?
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Yep almost two years ago now. It was amazing. We visited New York and Washington, did the beach trip and white water rafting in the black mountains. I love my cousin, he and I are very close and his wife is like my sister. Their three girls love the outdoors and the five kids have a great time hanging out together. It was one of the best holidays I’ve had, the boys too I think. We don’t go abroad too often due to cost etc so we saved up a long time for that one!
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So hope you go as a family soon. Especially with kids still being relatively young.
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I know. Hard to know what will happen over next year or two. Life will be not be the same though.
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It’s a mess. Going to be a lot more basic for many. Going to get people looking at their life’s and deciding what’s important to them. x
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It will. That’s for sure. At the moment I can’t think more than one day ahead. Too many what ifs and unknowns. I had a few tricky things to navigate anyway and now it’s all so complicated I just focus on the day ahead and the boys x
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It’s so hard when the path is not entirely clear. Often it makes the right thing to do the hardest call. I’m so like you, just focusing on the boy this odd days. x
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Now is not the time for big decisions. Ensuring our children are safe, secure and happy is the most important thing. 😊 x
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Time will come for other calls. Just doing those things will take our energy. Some people don’t get that, often people who should know. x
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True enough. 😊
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I’m in NC. Where is your cousin?
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Are you having a lovely sunny day in Yorkshire? X
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It’s currently raining. A see of blue sky and one black cloud above us. x
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Damn those black clouds x
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Now the boiler has broke just before the cold snap. Lovely. x
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Oh no! Nightmare. Are you out of hot water?? X
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Thankfully got an old immersion heater which we can switch on for some hot water.
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Thank goodness for that.
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Try to keep smiling. x
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I am trying. Some days easier than others but today I’m up, listening and rating 3 year old’s speech for my colleagues PhD and actually feeling ok. Not sure about a run though. It’s howling a gale out there!!
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It’s not very nice here especially with the heating down. Some days are tough. X
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Yep, cold and horrid. I wish you had heating. Maybe a movie day with socks and jumpers and quilts and blankets?? X
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Sounds a great idea. x
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Do it and enjoy every minute!
I think that’s my plan at 4pm. Get the boys to choose a couple of films. Popcorn, sweets, chocolate and blankets. Cuddle up on the sofa for a good few hours. Just couple more hrs of work …
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Hope it’s a great time for you all.
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Are you managing to keep warm?
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I can get the boiler to work in short bursts every so often. So it’s not freezing, just chilly inside. At least it’s something until I can get someone to look at it. Ha, that’s going to be quite a while…
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I hope the weather warms up in Yorkshire! Don’t forget the challenge in the dark …
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I’m off to do it.
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I’m really embarrassed 😩
R6 L9
Think there was a monster in the dark
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Awesome. R102 L crashed into table so that’s a 0.
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I don’t think we’ve managed a zero before! I’ll have to work on the dark thing, try to get into double figures.
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Hopping about in the dark on one leg shouting ‘ow my toe’ doesn’t really count as being in balance. xx
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Oh dear! Maybe we overstretched ourselves with adding the dark.
I’ve got a new plan to help my balance and coordination… I’m going to take up yoga. I’ve downloaded an app. Is that just asking for trouble?
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Do we get to see the video evidence of your yoga talents?
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Well as I am a beginner … it will start with sitting cross legged on the floor.
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That’s a good start. I guess the next level is to try and get out of the crossed legged position.
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It might be worth finding out how to do that before I get into the cross legged position in the first place?
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Hope it goes well.
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Mustn’t forget the big speech from Boris at 7pm … I can’t contain my excitement.
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Utter shambles. Rambling, badly thought out, just words. Just made everyone even more confused.
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Total confusion … a lot of words with no content. No one will have a clue what they can and can’t do. My plan is therefore to do nothing different! What will you do for work?
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Our work is based on outdoor events and things like cycle races. Nothing in June. Still have a couple of events in July and August but I suspect they will go. Maybe September before anything starts. Probably for the best as it looks like Son will be off till September anyway. x
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Yep, my eldest might be going in but the 12 yr old unlikely. But who knows … it wasn’t really clear. I hope you can manage ok without work for a while. X
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We will get through this. Unless we don’t get taken down by a dark challenge. x
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I can’t balance long enough for anything to take me down! You on the other hand!! How was the table?
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Very hard…..and very unmoving……
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Oh dear ..
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😀
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More and more airports are now having autism friendly policies like lanyards that get you though queues faster. Has been a lifesaver for us.
And yes, Swissair were the best.
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Our local airport is truly awful.
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That’s a shame. Dublin Airport is great. Plus now they have introduced a Sensory Room that you can book so you get to chill out. Haven’t used it though.
My son loves travelling to different countries and really misses it. My daughter hates leaving the house for any reason. So it can get tricky keeping everyone happy.
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Leeds you have to queue for hours to get through security then it’s heaving in the waiting areas.
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Oh my gosh that is a lot of scary experiences! But sounds like a lot of good ones too. That was nice of the flight attendant to give your son a box of cakes – how nice! I’ve often thought the same. I don’t know if I will ever be able to get Declan on a plane. And if I did, would he stay on it? Kind of limits a lot of travel. Time will tell if and when we ever take that venture!
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The US has so many options. And he’s like our son, let’s see which path they take and we will follow for as long as we are needed.
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I’ve only flown 3x but I like to think I become a better traveler each time I do. I have a paranoia of missing the plane even though I’m early for everything. My first flight was in 2011 to Chicago to visit a friend. I left from a tiny airport in Harrisburg, PA and arrived at Ohare and was immediately overwhelmed until I found my friend. My second trip was again to Chicago to visit the same friend for a few days then onto Portland to visit another friend. My husband was along for that trip so I wasn’t quite as neurotic. This past November we flew to Chicago for a layover then onto New Orleans and that was the calmest I ever was. It’s funny because most people fear flying yet the whole process of airports and getting to the plane stresses me more, once I’m in my seat on the plane I’m perfectly fine!
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Yes I’m worse on the ground as well.
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It was lovely to hear of the little girl being entertained by your storytelling, as well as your son. Being able to make children laugh with stories is a wonderful gift.
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All kids should laugh. Even some of us adults should try it.
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A right good laugh does us the world of good.
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It so does.
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Airlines here in America are gonna suffer hard… they did it before with 9/11 so I think they will survive?
As far as flying? I’m kinda thinking it would have to be changed? You can’t sardine people with a virus like this? So maybe more space? It’s gonna hurt them pretty badly… no matter what they do.
But you do still have business travelers. And people will want to or need to use for personal use also… so not sure how will come back?
I have flown all my life… they don’t even care to frisk me … I don’t have to take anything off – they just pull me to the side and let me go right through. I was with police for awhile so maybe is because of that? But again I have always flown… love flying (except on Southwest – I hate Southwest!) lol – you are like Cattle on Southwest 🤨
My favorite is Jet Blue… I just like them.
Back in the day – Continental, United, and American used to take kids into cockpit and give you wings all kinds of stuff and show you the controls … none of that is ever done anymore.
Anyway… might be just a little different after all this? I just don’t know how to imagine it?
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Yes change is coming. The days of pack them in cheap have gone.
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Ps… I keep asking for someone to invent “teleporting” lol
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That would be so cool.
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To Houston! The place I parked my shoes from 1980-2014, 2017-2018
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What’s it like.
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Hot and humid with great possibility of Hurricanes and flooding.
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Lovely.
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Ick. Didn’t like it.
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Must have been a strange feeling seeing that plane. Beautiful though showing a bit of normalcy. Whatever that may be these days.
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It was strange.
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Yes definitely.
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Hope your doing well.
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I am just a lot occupying my thoughts lately. I will be back on writing soon. Thank you for asking.😌
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🙏
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😌
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Before I had ever flown, I swore I no one would ever get me on a plane. Well, a friend and I decided to take a trip to Bermuda and, of course, the only way to get there was to fly. But once I had experienced it, I was hooked. I love to fly, though I haven’t done so in several decades as I can no longer afford to take trips. I did have a couple of problems on flights. Once we were taking off from the Toronto airport when the plane hit a flock of birds. Or maybe the flock of birds hit the plane. Anyway, I think it messed up one of the engines and we had to land. They had to clean another plane before we could get started again. Another flight was held up by bad weather and when I reached the Tampa airport, I had missed my connecting flight and some friends were waiting in Sarasota to pick me up. Of course there was no way to let them know. Another time, leaving Amsterdam for home (London Ontario Canada) the plane was held up for about an hour and a half, and we missed the last flight from Toronto to London for the night. Fortunately someone from our group tour invited us to stay overnight with them and I called my Dad the next day and he picked us up and brought us back home. One time my luggage was lost on the way to Florida, and I was there in the middle of summer heat with no clean clothes. They found it somewhere with all tags ripped off, but I did get it in a few days. And coming back from Europe, my suitcase looked like something had run over it. That was the day of hard suitcases. It was a mess, but at least nothing was missing.
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That reminds me of something I completely forgot about. When I was young I flew to Africa to see my sister. My first ever flight. The first attempt at taking off was aborted just after we started accelerating. The second attempt we had to brake to avoid birds. Probably explains why I’m not a great flyer.
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Scary memory…landing in Raleigh on Southwest Airlines out of Houston. Our pilot fought strong winds coming in and he was nearly dribbling us like a basketball down the runway. There was applause when we came to a stop. My ex-Marine and I were tense but, we knew the pilot. He just happened to be a combat Marine pilot, a Lt. Col. and a friend of my ex. We bought that man a drink.
Happy memory…flying out of La Guardia at dusk and seeing all the lights of Manhattan. It was 1991, it was my very first flight to New York and my second flight in an airplane.
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You see some of the landings in bad weather and you just marvel at the skill of the pilot. I think that pilot earned his drink. x
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Have you ever seen the video of the plane landed perfectly without landing gear?
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Yes. It’s like a magician. It’s like the landings where the plane is coming in sideways.
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Those sideways shots…man. The Weather Channel has shows on plane crashes and crazy weather that planes have to fly in. LORD.
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I remember seeing one where the jet did a complete 360 degree flip and still land.
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Damn. I missed that one.
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It was truly terrifying.
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On a flight to Florida for my parents’ 50th anniversary, the airport was doing random searches of passengers. They chose my father as someone to check more closely. They made him take off his prosthetic leg in the middle of the airport. He was 76 years old. I still get irritated when I think about it.
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It’s just madness isn’t it.
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